Jannik Sinner came to Wimbledon with the aim of making his mark among Wimbledon’s elite players. Another win at this tournament would add to Sinner’s precious airs, making him the 10th player to win back-to-back Wimbledon titles.
He left the first round match battered and bloody, but a winner. Sinner needed five sets to dispatch Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round of Wimbledon on Monday. Despite the leg injury, Sinner was able to recover in the final two sets and won the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-2, 6-3.
Sinner’s serve proved to be both his greatest weapon and his enemy early in the match. Although he was able to rack up aces, he struggled to put his serve into play and ruined the first set with a double fault. These double faults led to Sinner’s unforced errors late in the set, which caused the world No. 1 player to fall back and lose the set.
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Sinner had an incredible 31 aces in the match. He finished the day with five double faults, all of which came early in the match.
Sinner seemed to forget those problems early in the second set, winning the first three games. Despite Kecmanovic’s vitality, Sinner won the second set 6-3 and tied the match.
However, the third set was tough for last year’s champion. After the awkward fall, Sinner was unable to move much during the set. Although he did not call for a trainer, the broadcast showed blood oozing from Sinner’s right leg.
Due to the injury, Kecmanovic ended up leading the set. Sinner eventually forced a tiebreak, but lost, dropping the third set 7-6. The defending champion was one set away from being eliminated in the first round of Wimbledon.
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Whatever was going on with Sinner’s leg, he managed to shake it off by the fourth set, and Sinner easily won 6-2. This set up a fifth and final set between Sinner and Kecmanovic.
Before Monday, Sinner hadn’t had a great performance in matches that went five sets. He went just 6-12, but most of his losses came against elite opponents.
Still, it might have been in his head early in the fifth inning. Sinner was unable to build a large lead against Kecmanovic, and the two traded each other in the first four matches.
Sinner picked up his game and ended the streak, winning games five and six in a row. In the fifth set, he suddenly took a 4-2 lead and was in a good position to end the match.
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After exchanging the next two games, Sinner managed to pull it off and win the set and the match. Although scary at times, Sinner survived a tense first round.
After the match, Sinner said the injury was worse than it felt. He added that it was “just a nail” and that he is “doing well,” suggesting he does not expect the injury to be a problem in the future.
With Kecmanovic sent out, Sinner will now focus on repairing his foot ahead of Wednesday’s second Wimbledon match against Nuno Borges.
Sinner won Wimbledon last year, but this time he enters the event with a bittersweet feeling. Sinner lost in the second round of the French Open in a huge upset. This is the first time Sinner has not made it past the second round at a Grand Slam since the 2023 French Open.
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He will want to avoid a repeat of himself against Borges on Wednesday.
